I am so angry I could spit.
In a gesture so cruel, so mean-spirited, so vicious as to defy comprehension, the Boy Scouts of America have banned obese boys from their National Jamboree:
The Boy Scouts used the CDC’s body mass index (BMI), a screening tool for obesity, in deciding whether adults and youth could join the jamboree, which is held every four years. For past jamborees, attendees filled out health forms, received a physical and got a doctor’s release, but the BMI was a factor added for this year’s event, Smith said.
BMIs of 25.0 to 29.9 fall in the overweight range, while those 30.0 or higher are considered obese, the Boy Scouts said.
Those applicants whose BMI was greater than 40.0 were not allowed to participate. Jamboree medical staff had to review all applicants in the 32.0-39.9 range, including checking their health history and the recommendation of the individual’s medical provider.
The stupidity of this is nearly as mind boggling as the viciousness. Do they think that children with a BMI over 40 WANT to be morbidly obese? Do they think these children aren’t miserable enough without being excluded from a rite of passage within the organization? Do they think even a single child will lose weight that he wouldn’t have lost in order to avoid exclusion from their Jamboree?
They don’t know, and I suspect they don’t care. This isn’t about obesity. This isn’t about helping children. This is about hate, pure and simple. Hatred of others who are different is exhilarating for some and for the haters in the Boy Scouts, times have been tough lately.
In the good old days, you could hate on Black Scouts:
In the South, with the “separate but equal” mindset of the times, black [scouting] troops were not treated equally. They were often not allowed to wear scout uniforms, and had far smaller budgets and insufficient facilities to work with. The BSA on a national level was often defensive about its stance on segregation. “The Boy Scouts of America] never drew the color line, but the movement stayed in step with the prevailing mores.” Even so, there was only one integrated troop before 1954 in the Deep South compared to the frequent occurrence of integration in the North. Also, the Scouts in the South did not support social agencies that were allies of the BSA. The YMCA was historically one of the BSA’s strongest supporters, but in Richmond, Virginia, blacks were not allowed to use the Y’s facilities to earn merit badges, specifically for swimming.
But unfortunately for those who love to hate, racism is now officially repudiated.
No problem. The haters could switch to gay Scouts. For years they kept them out of Scouting, but, alas, 2 months ago,the Boy Scouts of America were forced to acknowledge that homophobia has gone out of style, and voted to “allow” gay Scouts, though not gay Scout leaders.
Thank goodness for the fat boys. Now the Scouts can hate on them. And the best part? The haters can self-righteously proclaim they are doing it to improve the health of American children.
The national jamboree is a “physically demanding experience” being conducted at a “high-adventure site,” the Boy Scouts said on its website. “For that reason, physical standards have been set unique to the jamboree. These standards help highlight some of the challenging terrain at the Summit and types of activities that will take place, all with the goal of keeping participants safe.”
Bullshit!
Are they going to exclude the disabled, too. Maybe that will encourage the paralyzed boys to walk again, just like this is going to encourage the morbidly obese to lose weight. Not!
There is no justification for this policy. It is an expression of the last bastion of hate that is officially tolerated in this country, hatred of those who are overweight.
No doubt the vicious people who thought this up (all with “normal” BMIs) are patting themselves on the back for finding a new way to humiliate children who are already the target of teasing and hurtful words. How good it feels to hate on someone who is different, no matter what the source of that difference!
The Boys Scouts of America should be ashamed of themselves for their unspeakable cruelty. They owe an apology to the boys they have gleefully shamed, humiliated and excluded, for no better reason that they are running out of people they are allowed to hate.
